Aurelijus Skarbalius
Encyclopedia
Aurelijus "Auri" Skarbalius (born 12 May 1973 in Vilnius
) is a head-coach and former Lithuania
n professional footballer, who started his career as a winger, but played mostly as either left- or right-sided fullback. He currently coaches Brøndby IF
.
and FK Inkaras Kaunas
, before he was bought by Danish Superliga
club Brøndby IF
in 1995, after he and FK Inkaras Kaunas met Brøndby in the 1995 UEFA Cup
. At Brøndby he immediately won silverware, as the club won three Danish championships in a row in the 1995–96
, 1996–97
, and 1997–98 seasons
. Despite only playing 17 games over the three championship winning seasons, Auri earned himself a cult following in the stands during his early years at Brøndby, as he didn't succeed in scoring any goals for the club. Apart from this, he was well liked for his high work ethics and team spirit.
He was a part of Brøndby's first stint in the UEFA Champions League 1998-99
main tournament, with the job to mark David Beckham
of Manchester United and Luís Figo
of FC Barcelona
. Skarbalius got his big breakthrough in the 2000–01 season
, playing 28 of 33 games in the Superliga, and in the championship winning season of 2001–02
he scored his only two goals for Brøndby, one in the Superliga, and one in the UEFA Champions League qualification against Dinamo Tirana. Incidentally Skarbalius was voted Brøndby's Player of the year 2002 that season.
Following the summer 2002 arrival of new manager Michael Laudrup
, new player Asbjørn Sennels
was bought for the left side of the defence in the following December. Sennels was a part of the Danish national team at the time, and even though Sennels initially didn't find his feet at the club, Auri played the rest of the season as a substitute for the left and right side of the defence. Auri spent the next few years mainly on the bench in Brøndby, and for the last half of the 2004–05 season
he was put on loan at Superliga relegation battlers Herfølge BK. Herfølge ended the season with relegation, and Auri returned to Brøndby to collect his 5th Danish championship title for Brøndby, for the games he played in the first half of the season.
For the first half of the 2005–06 season
Skarbalius only took part in 3 matches for a combined 72 minutes on the pitch, and his contract was mutually terminated of 31 December 2005 to allow Auri to become a playing assistant coach at Herfølge in the Danish 1st Division
. Before leaving Brøndby he managed to become the most capped foreign player in the club's history with almost 200 appearances.
, and he holds the record number of appearances for Lithuania with 65 international caps, during which he has scored 5 goals. He retired from international football in October 2005 after spending all 14 years with the national team since Lithuania gained independence.
. On June 8 2011 it was announced, that Auri would be taking the job as assistant manager for Henrik Jensen
at his former club Brøndby IF
starting in January of 2012, but when Jensen was sacked on October 24, Auri was appointed as interim manager for the remainder of 2011.
Vilnius
Vilnius is the capital of Lithuania, and its largest city, with a population of 560,190 as of 2010. It is the seat of the Vilnius city municipality and of the Vilnius district municipality. It is also the capital of Vilnius County...
) is a head-coach and former Lithuania
Lithuania
Lithuania , officially the Republic of Lithuania is a country in Northern Europe, the biggest of the three Baltic states. It is situated along the southeastern shore of the Baltic Sea, whereby to the west lie Sweden and Denmark...
n professional footballer, who started his career as a winger, but played mostly as either left- or right-sided fullback. He currently coaches Brøndby IF
Brøndby IF
Brøndby IF is a Danish professional football club based in Brøndbyvester, Brøndby, on the western outskirts of Copenhagen and is the biggest football club in Denmark with almost 2000 members. The club is also known as Brøndbyernes Idrætsforening, or Brøndby and BIF for short...
.
Career
Auri started his career in Lithuanian clubs FK Zalgiris VilniusFK Žalgiris Vilnius
VMFD Žalgiris is a Lithuanian football club, playing in the capital, Vilnius. They have won the Lithuanian Championship three times: 1991, 1992, and 1999. The team's colours are green and white...
and FK Inkaras Kaunas
FK Inkaras Kaunas
FK Inkaras Kaunas is a Lithuanian football team from the city of Kaunas.- Achievements :*Lithuanian Championship: 7*Lithuanian Cup: 7*Lithuanian Supercup: 1-Season-by-season: Lithuania-European cup history:...
, before he was bought by Danish Superliga
Danish Superliga
The Danish Superliga is the current Danish football championship tournament, and administered by the Danish Football Association. It is the highest association football league in Denmark and is currently contested by 12 teams each year, with 2 teams to be relegated, which proves to be one of the...
club Brøndby IF
Brøndby IF
Brøndby IF is a Danish professional football club based in Brøndbyvester, Brøndby, on the western outskirts of Copenhagen and is the biggest football club in Denmark with almost 2000 members. The club is also known as Brøndbyernes Idrætsforening, or Brøndby and BIF for short...
in 1995, after he and FK Inkaras Kaunas met Brøndby in the 1995 UEFA Cup
UEFA Cup
The UEFA Europa League is an annual association football cup competition organised by UEFA since 1971 for eligible European football clubs. It is the second most prestigious European club football contest after the UEFA Champions League...
. At Brøndby he immediately won silverware, as the club won three Danish championships in a row in the 1995–96
Danish Superliga 1995-96
The 1995-96 Danish Superliga season was the 6th season of the Danish Superliga league championship, governed by the Danish Football Association....
, 1996–97
Danish Superliga 1996-97
The 1996-97 Danish Superliga season was the 7th season of the Danish Superliga league championship, governed by the Danish Football Association...
, and 1997–98 seasons
Danish Superliga 1997-98
The 1997-98 Danish Superliga season was the 8th season of the Danish Superliga league championship, governed by the Danish Football Association. It took place from the first match on July 25, 1997 to final match on June 1, 1998....
. Despite only playing 17 games over the three championship winning seasons, Auri earned himself a cult following in the stands during his early years at Brøndby, as he didn't succeed in scoring any goals for the club. Apart from this, he was well liked for his high work ethics and team spirit.
He was a part of Brøndby's first stint in the UEFA Champions League 1998-99
UEFA Champions League 1998-99
The 1998–99 UEFA Champions League was the seventh season of the UEFA Champions League, Europe's premier club football tournament, since it was renamed from the "European Champion Clubs' Cup" or "European Cup". The competition was won by Manchester United, coming back from a goal down in the last...
main tournament, with the job to mark David Beckham
David Beckham
David Robert Joseph Beckham, OBE is an English footballer who plays midfield for Los Angeles Galaxy in Major League Soccer, having previously played for Manchester United, Preston North End, Real Madrid, and A.C...
of Manchester United and Luís Figo
Luís Figo
Luís Filipe Madeira Caeiro Figo, OIH, is a Portuguese former international footballer. He played as a midfielder for Sporting CP, FC Barcelona, Real Madrid, and Internazionale, during a career which spanned over a period of 20 years. He retired from football on 31 May 2009...
of FC Barcelona
FC Barcelona
Futbol Club Barcelona , also known as Barcelona and familiarly as Barça, is a professional football club, based in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain....
. Skarbalius got his big breakthrough in the 2000–01 season
Danish Superliga 2000-01
The 2000–01 Danish Superliga season was the 11th season of the Danish Superliga league championship, governed by the Danish Football Association...
, playing 28 of 33 games in the Superliga, and in the championship winning season of 2001–02
Danish Superliga 2001-02
The 2001–02 Danish Superliga season was the 12th season of the Danish Superliga league championship, governed by the Danish Football Association...
he scored his only two goals for Brøndby, one in the Superliga, and one in the UEFA Champions League qualification against Dinamo Tirana. Incidentally Skarbalius was voted Brøndby's Player of the year 2002 that season.
Following the summer 2002 arrival of new manager Michael Laudrup
Michael Laudrup
Michael Laudrup is a retired Danish footballer, who works as a manager and last coached La Liga side RCD Mallorca. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest players in the history of football. His most prominent run of football came with Spanish club Barcelona, with whom he won four straight La...
, new player Asbjørn Sennels
Asbjørn Sennels
Asbjørn Sennels is a Danish professional football player, who plays as a left back for Viborg FF in the Danish Superliga championship. He has played two games for the Denmark national football team.-Biography:...
was bought for the left side of the defence in the following December. Sennels was a part of the Danish national team at the time, and even though Sennels initially didn't find his feet at the club, Auri played the rest of the season as a substitute for the left and right side of the defence. Auri spent the next few years mainly on the bench in Brøndby, and for the last half of the 2004–05 season
Danish Superliga 2004-05
The 2004-05 Danish Superliga season was the 15th season of the Danish Superliga league championship, governed by the Danish Football Association. It took place from the first match on July 24, 2004 to the final match on June 19, 2005....
he was put on loan at Superliga relegation battlers Herfølge BK. Herfølge ended the season with relegation, and Auri returned to Brøndby to collect his 5th Danish championship title for Brøndby, for the games he played in the first half of the season.
For the first half of the 2005–06 season
Danish Superliga 2005-06
The 2005-06 Danish Superliga season was the 16th season of the Danish Superliga league championship, governed by the Danish Football Association. It took place from the first match on July 19, 2005 to the final match on May 14, 2006....
Skarbalius only took part in 3 matches for a combined 72 minutes on the pitch, and his contract was mutually terminated of 31 December 2005 to allow Auri to become a playing assistant coach at Herfølge in the Danish 1st Division
Danish 1st Division
The 1st Division has been the name of the second highest football league in Denmark since 1991. From 1945 to 1991 the 1st Division was the name of the highest level of football in Denmark...
. Before leaving Brøndby he managed to become the most capped foreign player in the club's history with almost 200 appearances.
International career
Skarbalius is a former captain of the Lithuania national football teamLithuania national football team
The national football team of Lithuania is under the auspices of the Lithuanian Football Federation. It played its first match in 1923. In 1940, Lithuania was occupied by the Soviet Union; the country regained its independence in 1990 and played their first match as a new nation against Georgia on...
, and he holds the record number of appearances for Lithuania with 65 international caps, during which he has scored 5 goals. He retired from international football in October 2005 after spending all 14 years with the national team since Lithuania gained independence.
Coaching career
In November 2006, he was promoted to head coach of the Herfølge BK. When Herfølge in 2009 merged with Køge Boldklub, Skarbalius continued as manager of the new club called HB KøgeHB Køge
HB Køge is a professional Danish football club based primal in the town of Herfølge, and secondly in the town of Køge, both in the Køge Municipality, part of 'Region of Zealand', in the eastern part of Zealand, south of Copenhagen...
. On June 8 2011 it was announced, that Auri would be taking the job as assistant manager for Henrik Jensen
Henrik Jensen
Henrik Jensen is a Danish former Association football player and former manager of Brøndby IF in the Danish Superliga championship.Henrik Jensen is the father of Brøndby IF player Mike Jensen.-Career:...
at his former club Brøndby IF
Brøndby IF
Brøndby IF is a Danish professional football club based in Brøndbyvester, Brøndby, on the western outskirts of Copenhagen and is the biggest football club in Denmark with almost 2000 members. The club is also known as Brøndbyernes Idrætsforening, or Brøndby and BIF for short...
starting in January of 2012, but when Jensen was sacked on October 24, Auri was appointed as interim manager for the remainder of 2011.
Honours
- Baltic Cup
- 1991Baltic Cup 1991The 1991 Baltic Cup football competition took place from November 15 to November 17 at the Žalgiris Stadium in Klaipėda, Lithuania. It was the first competition of the three Baltic states – Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia – since they regained their independence from the Soviet Union,...
- 1991
- Lithuanian Cup
- 1993, 1994
- Danish SuperligaDanish SuperligaThe Danish Superliga is the current Danish football championship tournament, and administered by the Danish Football Association. It is the highest association football league in Denmark and is currently contested by 12 teams each year, with 2 teams to be relegated, which proves to be one of the...
(5 titles)- 1995–96Danish Superliga 1995-96The 1995-96 Danish Superliga season was the 6th season of the Danish Superliga league championship, governed by the Danish Football Association....
, 1996–97Danish Superliga 1996-97The 1996-97 Danish Superliga season was the 7th season of the Danish Superliga league championship, governed by the Danish Football Association...
, 1997–98Danish Superliga 1997-98The 1997-98 Danish Superliga season was the 8th season of the Danish Superliga league championship, governed by the Danish Football Association. It took place from the first match on July 25, 1997 to final match on June 1, 1998....
, 2001–02Danish Superliga 2001-02The 2001–02 Danish Superliga season was the 12th season of the Danish Superliga league championship, governed by the Danish Football Association...
, 2004–05Danish Superliga 2004-05The 2004-05 Danish Superliga season was the 15th season of the Danish Superliga league championship, governed by the Danish Football Association. It took place from the first match on July 24, 2004 to the final match on June 19, 2005....
- 1995–96
- Danish CupDanish CupThe Danish Cup is the official "knockout" cup competition in Danish football, run by the Danish Football Association. The cup has been contested annually since 1955...
(3 titles)- 1997–98, 2002–03, 2004–05
- 2002 Brøndby IFBrøndby IFBrøndby IF is a Danish professional football club based in Brøndbyvester, Brøndby, on the western outskirts of Copenhagen and is the biggest football club in Denmark with almost 2000 members. The club is also known as Brøndbyernes Idrætsforening, or Brøndby and BIF for short...
Player of the year
External links
- Brøndby IF profile
- Career stats (not including European matches)
- Interview with Auri (In Danish)